Posted by Hemant Mehta in Godless Girl left Christianity to become an atheist. She sees her transition as analogous to that between the end of middle school and the beginning of high school:
For me, leaving Christianity was a lot like graduating from eighth grade to high school.
My Christian walk had passed puberty: I was experienced, educated, well-rounded, and thoughtful. I studied the Bible voraciously, enjoying theological discussions and asking digging questions…
And then I became an atheist… I was afraid of leaving my comfort zone and having to start all over again with nobody there to be my clique, my support structure, my guide. I didn’t think I possessed an identity without my faith…
It is very disorienting to leave something familiar for something unknown but inevitable. On the upside, the freedom you experience after the transition is incredible.
The excellent post can be found here.
Yeah, but I haven’t thought of 9th grade as a bastion of freedom since I was a 9th-grader.
@Miko: LOL. Maybe because you haven’t been in 8th grade lately, either?
Thanks for the mention, Hemant! I hope others also understand that initial fear and intimidation that happens when you leave your sheltered life and move into the “great wide open”.